Democritus University of Thrace (reviews)

I like my university, because it offers one of the mostly-filled curricula in Greece for Electrical and Computer Engineering. More specifically, I recommend it if someone wants to study traditional Electrical Engineering, either in Electronics, Energy or Telecommunications. Furthermore, the facilities have been modernised in recent years, offering an improved academic experience, but the dorms are old.

I would recommend it for undergraduate studies.
The programme is good and most professors are really good on their field (releasing papers and having PhD students).
An issue is that there are little to no job opportunities for work after the studies in Xanthi.
Another issue is that there are less opportunities for extra work around the subject of studies (student teams and workshops) compared to the universities on the big cities.
Overall the campus and the infastructures are in medium to good state

It is a really good Greek University, though it has some flaws. The courses are challenging, especially electric circuits and electromagnetic fields, which you must take repeatedly. The electronics master that I am in is pretty interesting and the professors try to be up to date as possible with their labs and their lectures. Overall, the studying program is really good in my opinion.

About the faculty and the campus, I do not have to say good things. Water is leaking from everywhere in the amphitheatres, and only a specific number of PCs and equipment exist in the labs, therefore forcing us to have less lab practice.

The food that they provide has become really bad in the last two years and the only option left is cooking at home which is more expensive and time-consuming.

Taking all things into consideration, I can say that if the infrastructure of the uni (campus, dorms, food) was in a better condition, it might be the best experience for everyone who would study here.

Introduction
Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH) is considered as one of the top universities in Northern Greece. Founded in 1974-1975, it consists of 20 different departments and continues to welcome 30.000+ students per year. In 2021 I was accepted into the department of Molecular Biology and Genetics in Alexandroupolis (its headquarters are in Komotini). I now am a 2nd year student but I feel confident that my everyday experience till now allows me to present my own review of DUTH.

Courses and Professors
Molecular Biology and Genetics is a 4-year degree, only available in Democritus University of Thrace. Each year is divided into two semesters, the winter and spring one. Each one consists of 6-8 different courses that cover a variety of up-to-date topics and tend to gradually become more and more academically challenging. I was very happy to realize that since the very 1st semester we got to have labs, even though I wish that they were part of our everyday schedule, not only once a week, at least till now. The vast majority of our professors are well educated and hold a strong presence in the research world.

Tuition fees
0€. The Greek universities are not private and as a result there are no tuition fees. Another bonus is that textbooks are also provided for free through the Eudoxus system, where we can select one of the recommended textbooks for each course of each semester and then receive them from the local bookstores.

Accommodation
Even though there are no tuition fees, students still have to rent an apartment in Alexandroupolis, unless they possess a property there. Only those coming from a lower class family get to be accepted into living in a decent hotel room (no campus) that the university is mostly paying for. However, during holidays they are expected to leave and return when the school year starts, since the hotels will be booked from tourists.

Transportation
It’s free for university students, as long as they show their student ID to the driver. Even if someone misses it, they can take the local bus and have 50% off of the original ticket price (1.20€->0.60€)

Food
Three meals per day every day are provided for free for the students, as long as they show their student ID. The quantity and quality are decent.

Clubs
There are clubs founded by students, where someone, depending on their interests, can become a member of. I recall the photography club, along with the cinema, theater, dancing, music ones.